Inequality: Power, Precarity, and Unreason

This article explores the relationships among inequality, power, precarity, and unreason, with particular attention to the influence of enabling myths. Drawing on the work of William M. Dugger, inequality may be understood as a social process rooted in power and implemented through different “modes of inequality,” consisting of concrete practices of inequality and enabling myths to justify those practices. This article argues that the enabling myths of inequality contribute to unreason in society’s understanding of and responses to inequality, reinforcing both the conditions of precarity and unreason more generally. The article concludes with observations on the challenges facing inequality research and action in the context of recent political rhetoric and policy changes in the United States and ponders the role of institutional economists in forging a positive path forward to a more equitable and less precarious future.